The present invention relates to reusable low-depth, nestable trays for transporting and storing fluid containers and particularly sixteen-ounce bottles.
Containers, and particularly cans, for soft drinks, beer and other beverages are often stored and transported during the distribution stages thereof in short-walled, cardboard trays or boxes. These cardboard trays are generally not rugged enough, however, for reuse and therefore must be discarded by the retailer at his expense. They are flimsy and can collapse when wet. They are also unattractive and do not permit the full display, merchandising and advertising of the beverage containers held therein. Thus, there has been a need for a returnable and reusable case for storing and transporting beverage containers. This case should be lightweight, easy to manipulate and carry and economically constructed.
An example of a relatively recent, returnable and reusable tray which is particularly adapted for handling twenty-four, twelve-ounce, pull-top aluminum cans, is that disclosed in the above mentioned '039 application. When empty the reusable plastic trays of that application are nestable one within the other so as to occupy less storage space and to be more easily handled. The trays are nestable only to a small extent, perhaps one-quarter of their total height. In other words, each additional tray adds about three-quarters of its total tray height to the stack of empty trays. A large amount of storage space is thus needed for the empty trays, and a stack of trays can be rather tall and cumbersome to handle. Additionally, the sides of that tray are solid around their perimeters, and thus the lower portions of the beverage containers held therein, especially when the loaded trays are stacked one on top of the other, are not exposed. This prevents the stored containers from being readily seen to both determine how full the trays are and also the container brand from the labels to more completely advertise and market these containers. In other words, the tray surrounds the containers held therein and prevents them from being fully displayed.
One design of a stackable low-depth cases, particularly suitable for today's two-liter polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, is that disclosed in the above-mentioned '140 application. For this genre of cases, a plurality of columns project upwardly from the case floor and together with the sidewalls define a plurality of bottle retaining pockets. These columns are hollow to permit empty crates to stack top to bottom. These low-profile crate designs have spaced side columns to provide added strength and yet still expose to some extent the containers therein. This design though requires a certain registration of the empty crates for nesting purposes making the procedure a bit more cumbersome and time consuming than desirable.
Known low-depth crates often do not prevent the containers, and especially sixteen-ounce bottles, from hopping out of them as they are prone to do during shipment. A need has thus arisen for an improved reusable low-depth tray for handling, transporting and displaying sixteen-ounce bottles, as well as two-liter bottles and twelve-ounce cans.